This sequel to 2015’s Daddy’s Home is an unfunny, lazy, cynical clunker. After the hi-jinks of Daddy’s Home with all the father and step-father issues, Brad and Dusty, who are now friends and co-dads, have to deal with their fathers—Don and Kurt. All festive staples are there from snow, serial lights and Santa to carols, Christmas trees and red jumpers. And they are all completely joyless. The jokes are seriously unfunny—how can a little girl asking Santa for a gun to shoot turkey be comic? It is not even edgy; just bad taste.
- Director: Sean Anders
- Cast: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Linda Cardellini, John Cena, John Lithgow, Mel Gibson
- Story line: Disparate fathers and sons make for a disastrous holiday
Most of the cast reprise their roles including Will Farrell (Brad), Mark Wahlberg (Dusty) and Linda Cardellini (Sara, Brad’s wife and Dusty’s ex-wife). The women incidentally just stand around like Christmas ornaments. The newcomers are John Lithgow as Brad’s sensitive father Don and Mel Gibson as Dusty’s loutish father, Kurt. The considerable comic talent cannot save this mess, no more than Gibson’s bright blue eyes.
Somewhere in the never-ending 100 minute film, the gang go to watch a Liam Neeson movie where he uncovers a conspiracy and destroys the bad guys while on vacation with his children. That would have been a better film than this one.
